1
|
Choudhary RK, Joshi P, Ghosh S, Ganguly D, Balakrishnan K, Singh N, Mall RK, Kumar A, Dey S. Excess Mortality Risk Due to Heat Stress in Different Climatic Zones of India. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:342-351. [PMID: 38151765 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
India is at a high risk of heat stress-induced health impacts and economic losses owing to its tropical climate, high population density, and inadequate adaptive planning. The health impacts of heat stress across climate zones in India have not been adequately explored. Here, we examine and report the vulnerability to heat stress in India using 42 years (1979-2020) of meteorological data from ERA-5 and developed climate-zone-specific percentile-based human comfort class thresholds. We found that the heat stress is usually 1-4 °C higher on heatwave (HW) days than on nonheatwave (NHW) days. However, the stress on NHW days remains considerable and cannot be neglected. We then showed the association of a newly formulated India heat index (IHI) with daily all-cause mortality in three cities - Delhi (semiarid), Varanasi (humid subtropical), and Chennai (tropical wet and dry), using a semiparametric quasi-Poisson regression model, adjusted for nonlinear confounding effects of time and PM2.5. The all-cause mortality risk was enhanced by 8.1% (95% confidence interval, CI: 6.0-10.3), 5.9% (4.6-7.2), and 8.0% (1.7-14.2) during "sweltering" days in Varanasi, Delhi, and Chennai, respectively, relative to "comfortable" days. Across four age groups, the impact was more severe in Varanasi (ranging from a 3.2 to 7.5% increase in mortality risk for a unit rise in IHI) than in Delhi (2.6-4.2% higher risk) and Chennai (0.9-5.7% higher risk). We observed a 3-6 days lag effect of heat stress on mortality in these cities. Our results reveal heterogeneity in heat stress impact across diverse climate zones in India and call for developing an early warning system keeping in mind these regional variations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rohit Kumar Choudhary
- Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
- Swami Shraddhanand College, University of Delhi, Delhi 110036, India
| | - Pallavi Joshi
- Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
| | - Santu Ghosh
- St. John's Medical College, Bengaluru 560034, India
| | - Dilip Ganguly
- Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
| | - Kalpana Balakrishnan
- SRU-ICMR Centre for Advanced Research on Air Quality, Climate and Health Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Public Health, Sri Ramachandra Institute for Higher Education and Research, Chennai 600116, India
| | - Nidhi Singh
- IUF - Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, 103045 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rajesh Kumar Mall
- DST-Mahamana Centre of Excellence in Climate Change Research, Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Alok Kumar
- Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
| | - Sagnik Dey
- Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
- Centre of Excellence for Research on Clean Air, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi 110016, India
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Nanda L, Chakraborty S, Mishra SK, Dutta A, Rathi SK. Characteristics of Households' Vulnerability to Extreme Heat: An Analytical Cross-Sectional Study from India. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15334. [PMID: 36430053 PMCID: PMC9690422 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192215334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
High ambient temperature is a key public health problem, as it is linked to high heat-related morbidity and mortality. We intended to recognize the characteristics connected to heat vulnerability and the coping practices among Indian urbanites of Angul and Kolkata. In 2020, a cross-sectional design was applied to 500 households (HHs) each in Angul and Kolkata. Information was gathered on various characteristics including sociodemographics, household, exposure, sensitivity, and coping practices regarding heat and summer heat illness history, and these characteristics led to the computation of a heat vulnerability index (HVI). Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used with HVI as the outcome variable to identify the determinants of high vulnerability to heat. The results show that some common and some different factors are responsible for determining the heat vulnerability of a household across different cities. For Angul, the factors that influence vulnerability are a greater number of rooms in houses, the use of cooling methods such as air conditioning, having comorbid conditions, the gender of the household head, and distance from nearby a primary health centre (PHC). For Kolkata, the factors are unemployment, income, the number of rooms, sleeping patterns, avoidance of nonvegetarian food, sources of water, comorbidities, and distance from a PHC. The study shows that every city has a different set of variables that influences vulnerability, and each factor should be considered in design plans to mitigate vulnerability to extreme heat.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lipika Nanda
- Public Health Foundation of India, Gurugram 122002, India
| | | | - Saswat Kishore Mishra
- Centre for Management Studies, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad 500034, India
| | - Ambarish Dutta
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar 751013, India
| | - Suresh Kumar Rathi
- Department of Central Research and Innovation Center, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth Deemed to be University, Vadodara 391760, India
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Short-term effects of different PM2.5 ranges on daily all-cause mortality in Jinan, China. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5665. [PMID: 35383207 PMCID: PMC8983776 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09057-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
To examine the effects of different PM2.5 concentration ranges on daily all-cause mortality, 8768 all-cause deaths were recorded in the database of the Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University. Data of air pollutants (PM2.5 and O3) concentration were provided by the Jinan Environment Monitoring Center. The relative risk of all-cause mortality was assessed using a quasi-Poisson regression model after adjusting for confounding factors. The concentrations of PM2.5 were divided into four ranges 0-35 μg/m3; 35-75 μg/m3; 75-115 μg/m3; 115-150 μg/m3. There was no significant relationship between PM2.5 exposure and all-cause deaths in individuals aged < 60 years. However, for individuals aged ≥ 60 years, there was a significant positive association between exposure concentrations and all-cause deaths within the ranges 0-35 μg/m3, 35-75 μg/m3, and 115-150 μg/m3 with a mortality increase of 1.07 (1.01, 1.13), 1.03 (1.00, 1.05), and 1.05 (1.01, 1.08), respectively. When the population aged ≥ 60 years was stratified into gender groups, exposure to PM2.5 in the range 0-35 μg/m3 increased the mortality risk in men but not women. All-cause mortality in women, but not men, increased significantly with exposure to PM2.5 in the ranges of 35-75, 75-115, and 115-150 μg/m3.
Collapse
|
4
|
Rathi SK, Chakraborty S, Mishra SK, Dutta A, Nanda L. A Heat Vulnerability Index: Spatial Patterns of Exposure, Sensitivity and Adaptive Capacity for Urbanites of Four Cities of India. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 19:283. [PMID: 35010542 PMCID: PMC8750942 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19010283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Extreme heat and heat waves have been established as disasters which can lead to a great loss of life. Several studies over the years, both within and outside of India, have shown how extreme heat events lead to an overall increase in mortality. However, the impact of extreme heat, similar to other disasters, depends upon the vulnerability of the population. This study aims to assess the extreme heat vulnerability of the population of four cities with different characteristics across India. This cross-sectional study included 500 households from each city across the urban localities (both slum and non-slum) of Ongole in Andhra Pradesh, Karimnagar in Telangana, Kolkata in West Bengal and Angul in Odisha. Twenty-one indicators were used to construct a household vulnerability index to understand the vulnerability of the cities. The results have shown that the majority of the households fell under moderate to high vulnerability level across all the cities. Angul and Kolkata were found to be more highly vulnerable as compared to Ongole and Karimnagar. Further analysis also revealed that household vulnerability is more significantly related to adaptive capacity than sensitivity and exposure. Heat Vulnerability Index can help in identifying the vulnerable population and scaling up adaptive practices.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suresh Kumar Rathi
- Department of Research, MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, New Delhi 110048, India
| | - Soham Chakraborty
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Public Health Foundation of India, Bhubaneswar 751013, India; (S.C.); (A.D.)
| | - Saswat Kishore Mishra
- Centre for Health Care Management, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad 500082, India;
| | - Ambarish Dutta
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Public Health Foundation of India, Bhubaneswar 751013, India; (S.C.); (A.D.)
| | - Lipika Nanda
- Department of Multisectoral Planning, Public Health Foundation of India, Gurugram 122002, India;
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Rathi SK, Sodani PR. Summer temperature and all-cause mortality from 2006 to 2015 for Hyderabad, India. Afr Health Sci 2021; 21:1474-1481. [PMID: 35222613 PMCID: PMC8843295 DOI: 10.4314/ahs.v21i3.59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have documented a significant association between temperature and all-cause mortality for various cities but such data are unavailable for Hyderabad City. OBJECTIVE The objective of this work was to assess the association between the extreme heat and all-cause mortality for summer months (March to June) from 2006 to 2015 for Hyderabad city population. METHODS We obtained the data on temperature and all-cause mortality for at least ten years for summer months. Descriptive and Bivariate analysis were conducted. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to study the relationship between heat and all-cause mortality for lag time effect. RESULTS A total of 122,117 deaths for 1,220 summer days (2006 to 2015) were analyzed with mean daily all-cause mortality was 100.1±21.5. There is an increase of 16% and 17% per day mean all-cause mortality at the maximum temperature of ≥40°C and for extreme danger days (Heat Index >54°C) respectively. The mean daily all-cause mortality shows a significant association with maximum temperature (P < 0.001) and Heat Index from caution to extreme danger risk days (P < 0.0183). The lag effect of extreme heat on all-cause mortality for the study period (2006 to 2015) was at peak on same day of the maximum temperature (r = 0.273 at p<0.01). CONCLUSION The study concludes that the impact of ambient heat in the rise of all-cause mortality is clearly evident (16% mean deaths/day). There was no lag effect from the effect of extreme heat on all-cause mortality as the peak period was the same as the maximum temperature. Hence heat action plans are needed. However, extreme heat-related mortality merits further analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suresh K Rathi
- IIHMR University, Jaipur & MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, New Delhi - 110048.
| | - Prahlad R Sodani
- President, IIHMR University 1, Prabhu Dayal Marg, Near Sanganer Airport, Jaipur - 302029.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rathi SK, Sodani PR, Joshi S. Summer Temperature and All-cause Mortality from 2006 to 2015 for Smart City Jaipur, India. JOURNAL OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/09720634211011693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A considerable association between temperature and all-cause mortality has been documented in various studies. Further insights can be obtained from studying the impact of temperature and heat index (HI) for Jaipur city’s all-cause mortality. The objective of this work was to assess the association between the extreme heat (daily maximum temperature, daily minimum temperature, daily mean temperature, relative humidity and HI) and all-cause mortality for summer months (March to June) from 2006 to 2015 for urban population of Jaipur. For summer months, we collected the data on various temperature and all-cause mortality parameters for at least 10 years. The student’s t-test and ANOVA were used to analyse variations in mean temperature, maximum temperature and HI. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to study the relationship between ambient heat and lag time effect all-cause mortality. A total of 75,571 deaths (all-cause mortality) for 1,203 summer days (2006–2015) were analysed in relation to temperature and relative humidity. The mean daily all-cause mortality has been estimated at 62.8 ± 15.2 for the study period. There is a significant increase of 39% per day all-cause mortality at the maximum temperature of 45 °C and above. However only 10% rise per day all-cause mortality for extreme danger days (HI > 54 °C). The mean daily all-cause mortality shows a significant association with daily maximum temperature ( F = 34.6, P < .0001) and HI (discomfort index) from caution to extreme danger risk days ( F = 5.0, P < .0019). The lag effect of extreme heat on all-cause mortality for the study period (2006 to 2015) was at a peak period on the same day of the maximum temperature ( r = 0.245 at P < .01) but continues up to four days. The study concludes that the effect of ambient heat on all-cause mortality increase is clearly evident (rise of 39% deaths/day). Accordingly, focus should be put on developing adaptation measures against ambient heat. This analysis may satisfy policy makers’ needs. Extreme heat-related mortality needs further study to reduce adverse effects on health among Jaipur’s urban population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suresh K. Rathi
- PhD Scholar, IIHMR University, Jaipur, India
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad, India
| | | | - Suresh Joshi
- Former Professor, IIHMR University, Jaipur, India
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Dimitrova A, Ingole V, Basagaña X, Ranzani O, Milà C, Ballester J, Tonne C. Association between ambient temperature and heat waves with mortality in South Asia: Systematic review and meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 146:106170. [PMID: 33395923 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND South Asia is highly vulnerable to climate change and is projected to experience some of the highest increases in average annual temperatures throughout the century. Although the adverse impacts of ambient temperature on human health have been extensively documented in the literature, only a limited number of studies have focused on populations in this region. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to systematically review the current state and quality of available evidence on the direct relationship between ambient temperature and heat waves and all-cause mortality in South Asia. METHODS The databases Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus and Embase were searched from 1990 to 2020 for relevant observational quantitative studies. We applied the Navigation Guide methodology to assess the strength of the evidence and performed a meta-analysis based on a novel approach that allows for combining nonlinear exposure-response associations without access to data from individual studies. RESULTS From the 6,759 screened papers, 27 were included in the qualitative synthesis and five in a meta-analysis. Studies reported an association of all-cause mortality with heat wave episodes and both high and low daily temperatures. The meta-analysis showed a U-shaped pattern, with increasing mortality for both high and low temperatures, but a statistically significant association was found only at higher temperatures - above 31° C for lag 0-1 days and above 34° C for lag 0-13 days. Effects were found to vary with cause of death, age, sex, location (urban vs. rural), level of education and socio-economic status, but the profile of vulnerabilities was somewhat inconsistent and based on a limited number of studies. Overall, the strength of the evidence for ambient temperature as a risk factor for all-cause mortality was judged as limited and for heat wave episodes as inadequate. CONCLUSIONS The evidence base on temperature impacts on mortality in South Asia is limited due to the small number of studies, their skewed geographical distribution and methodological weaknesses. Understanding the main determinants of the temperature-mortality association as well as how these may evolve in the future in a dynamic region such as South Asia will be an important area for future research. Studies on viable adaptation options to high temperatures for a region that is a hotspot for climate vulnerability, urbanisation and population growth are also needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Asya Dimitrova
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Plaça de la Mercè, 10, 08002 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vijendra Ingole
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Xavier Basagaña
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Plaça de la Mercè, 10, 08002 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Otavio Ranzani
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carles Milà
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Joan Ballester
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Madrid, Spain
| | - Cathryn Tonne
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Plaça de la Mercè, 10, 08002 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Avda. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Swain S, Bhattacharya S, Dutta A, Pati S, Nanda L. Vulnerability and Adaptation to Extreme Heat in Odisha, India: A Community Based Comparative Study. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16245065. [PMID: 31842287 PMCID: PMC6950623 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16245065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Background: Extreme heat and heat illness are becoming very frequent in India. We aimed to identify the factors associated with heat illness and the coping practices among city dwellers of Odisha, India during the summer. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 766 households (HHs) in twin cities of Odisha covering a population of 1099 (slum: 404 and non-slum: 695) in the year 2017. We collected information on sociodemographic, household characteristics, coping practices to heat and the heat illness history reported during the summer. Multivariate logistic regression accounting for clustering effects at the household and slum levels was used to identify the associated factors of heat illness after adjustment of other variables. Result: Nearly, 49% of the study participants were female and the mean age was 38.36 years (95% confidence interval (CI): 37.33–39.39 years). A significant difference of living environment was seen across the groups. More than two-thirds of the study participants at least once had heat illness. In the non-slum population, males (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 3.56; 95% CI: 2.39–5.29), persons under medication (aOR: 3.09; 95% CI: 1.15–8.29), and chronic conditions had higher association with heat illness. Whereas, in the slum population, having a kitchen outside the home (aOR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.02–3.96) and persons with chronic conditions were positively associated with heat illness. Use of cooling practices in slum areas reduced the risk of heat illness by 60%. Conclusion: Heat illness is associated with the living environment and physical health of the individuals. Identifying the vulnerable population and scaling up adaptive practices can strengthen the public health preparedness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Subhashisa Swain
- School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
- Correspondence:
| | - Shreeporna Bhattacharya
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar, Public Health Foundation of India 267/3408, Mayfair Road, Jayadev Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751013, India
| | - Ambarish Dutta
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar, Public Health Foundation of India 267/3408, Mayfair Road, Jayadev Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751013, India
| | - Sanghamitra Pati
- Regional Medical Research Center, Indian Council of Medical Research, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751017, India
| | - Lipika Nanda
- Indian Institute of Public Health, Bhubaneswar, Public Health Foundation of India 267/3408, Mayfair Road, Jayadev Vihar, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751013, India
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Green H, Bailey J, Schwarz L, Vanos J, Ebi K, Benmarhnia T. Impact of heat on mortality and morbidity in low and middle income countries: A review of the epidemiological evidence and considerations for future research. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 171:80-91. [PMID: 30660921 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Heat waves and high air temperature are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, the majority of research conducted on this topic is focused on high income areas of the world. Although heat waves have the most severe impacts on vulnerable populations, relatively few studies have studied their impacts in low and middle income countries (LMICs). The aim of this paper is to review the existing evidence in the literature on the impact of heat on human health in LMICs. We identified peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies published in English between January 1980 and August 2018 investigating potential associations between high ambient temperature or heat waves and mortality or morbidity. We selected studies according to the following criteria: quantitative studies that used primary and/or secondary data and report effect estimates where ambient temperature or heat waves are the main exposure of interest in relation to human morbidity or mortality within LMICs. Of the total 146 studies selected, eighty-two were conducted in China, nine in other countries of East Asia and the Pacific, twelve in South Asia, ten in Sub-Saharan Africa, eight in the Middle East and North Africa, and seven in each of Latin America and Europe. The majority of studies (92.9%) found positive associations between heat and human morbidity/mortality. Additionally, while outcome variables and study design differed greatly, most utilized a time-series study design and examined overall heath related morbidity/mortality impacts in an entire population, although it is notable that the selected studies generally found that the elderly, women, and individuals within the low socioeconomic brackets were the most vulnerable to the effects of high temperature. By highlighting the existing evidence on the impact of extreme heat on health in LMICs, we hope to determine data needs and help direct future studies in addressing this knowledge gap. The focus on LMICs is justified by the lack of studies and data studying the health burden of higher temperatures in these regions even though LMICs have a lower capacity to adapt to high temperatures and thus an increased risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hunter Green
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Bailey
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Lara Schwarz
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Vanos
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Kristie Ebi
- Center for Health and the Global Environment, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tarik Benmarhnia
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, 92093 CA, USA; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wang J, Kuffer M, Sliuzas R, Kohli D. The exposure of slums to high temperature: Morphology-based local scale thermal patterns. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 650:1805-1817. [PMID: 30278425 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 09/23/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Heat exposure has become a global threat to human health and life with increasing temperatures and frequency of extreme heat events. Considering risk as a function of both heat vulnerability and hazard intensity, this study examines whether poor urban dwellers residing in slums are exposed to higher temperature, adding to their vulnerable demographic and health conditions. Instead of being restricted by sampling size of pixels or other land surface zones, this study follows the intrinsic latent patterns of the heat phenomenon to examine the association between small clusters of slums and heat patterns. Remotely sensed land surface temperature (LST) datasets of moderate resolution are employed to derive the morphological features of the temperature patterns in the city of Ahmedabad, India at the local scale. The optimal representations of temperature pattern morphology are learnt automatically from temporally adjacent images without manually choosing model hyper-parameters. The morphological features are then evaluated to identify the local scale temperature pattern at slum locations. Results show that in particular locations with slums are exposed to a locally high temperature. More specifically, larger slums tend to be exposed to a more intense locally high temperature compared to smaller slums. Due to the small size of slums in Ahmedabad, it is hard to conclude whether slums are impacting the locally high temperature, or slums are more likely to be located in poorly built places already with a locally high temperature. This study complements the missing dimension of hazard investigation to heat-related risk analysis of slums. The study developed a workflow of exploring the temperature patterns at the local scale and examination of heat exposure of slums. It extends the conventional city scale urban temperature analysis into local scales and introduces morphological measurements as new parameters to quantify temperature patterns at a more detailed level.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jiong Wang
- Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| | - Monika Kuffer
- Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| | - Richard Sliuzas
- Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| | - Divyani Kohli
- Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Agarwal AK, Dwivedi S, Ghanshyam A. Summer Heat: Making a Consistent Health Impact. Indian J Occup Environ Med 2018; 22:57-58. [PMID: 29743788 PMCID: PMC5932915 DOI: 10.4103/ijoem.ijoem_94_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anil K Agarwal
- Department of Community Medicine, G. R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Shatkratu Dwivedi
- Department of Community Medicine, G. R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
| | - Ahirwar Ghanshyam
- Department of Community Medicine, G. R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
| |
Collapse
|